


Coffee Debt

by morphaileffect



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, Short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-27
Updated: 2019-02-27
Packaged: 2019-11-06 17:58:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17944433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morphaileffect/pseuds/morphaileffect
Summary: University AU. Coffee is spilled at their first meeting. An apologetic Shiro offers to replace it, but Keith is cranky.





	Coffee Debt

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tuples](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tuples/gifts).



> Belated happy birthday, [clair](https://www.instagram.com/claircolors/), and thanks for the lovely prompt!

The impact was strong enough to knock Keith back a few steps.

It was not unlike walking into a wall.

“The f–” Keith started to exclaim.

_“Oh my God I’m so sorry!!”_

Before his eyes, the wall he’d hit turned into a tall, flustered, marshmallow-like person, blubbering apologies and getting _uncomfortably_ handsy.

“Sorry, I’m so sorry,” marshmallow person kept saying, while swatting at the front of Keith’s shirt. “Oh my God…”

“Would you stop that?” Keith swatted his large hands away, in turn. “It’s fine. Just back up a bit, huh?”

Keith kept a tight grip on what was left of his black coffee, lest this large, confused guy make a wrong move and knock it completely out of his hands. As it stood, only a bit of it spilled onto his shirt.

Big Guy had a soft voice. And big hands. And a strong jawline and _ridiculously_ pretty eyes.

Seeing that the damage really wasn’t too bad (most of the coffee ended upon the floor, not on Keith’s shirt), Big Guy started to regain a bit of his composure. A very little bit.

“I’m really sorry, I-I was distracted. First day.” He cleared his throat awkwardly. “Look, I got a spare shirt in my locker if you –”

“It’s just a few drops.” Keith straightened his shirt with an annoyed tug. “Don’t worry about it.”

He wasn’t as annoyed as he normally would have been in such a situation. Keith wondered why that was. Perhaps it was the thought that a shirt borrowed from this guy would be, like, a nightgown on him. It would be _that_ oversized.

Or maybe it was Big Guy’s demeanor. He seemed like he wouldn’t hurt a fly. Not much of a challenge.

Keith started to walk away, and Big Guy called after him, “At least let me pay you back for the coffee?”

“I said don’t worry about it,” Keith replied over his shoulder.

He thought that was the end of that.

“Um…”

Keith rolled his eyes and stopped walking, turned around.

Big Guy was standing where he left him, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly.

“Sorry to bother you…but do you know where the library is?”

Keith hesitated. The library? That meant they had the same destination.

Great.

He sighed and jerked his head toward the general direction of the library. “This way. That’s where I’m going.”

Shiro seemed happy enough to walk with Keith, in spite of the fact that he’d just spilled some coffee onto his shirt and was perhaps barely keeping himself from a casual smackdown.

“My name’s Shiro, by the way.”

“Mm. Keith.” Now why did he say that…? He didn’t normally say that. Not to people who got off on the wrong foot with him.

He quickly decided it was because there was a fair shot this one didn’t get off on the wrong foot with him…

…as long as he tread carefully.

“Are you a teacher here, Keith? A student?”

Keith sighed loudly. This wasn’t treading carefully.

“Student,” he grumbled. “Masters.”

“Oh? What course? You know, I’m still getting the hang of how things work here. In my old school, it was just – ”

“Maybe we don’t talk,” Keith snapped. “I already let you get out of owing me coffee, so the least you could do is not be annoying.”

Big Guy – no, wait, Shiro – dutifully clamped his lips shut.

He seemed a bit hurt, which didn’t sit well with Keith. It was so strange, how he actually _cared_ about how this one reacted to him. And they’d just met a few minutes ago.

Keith didn’t think too much of it. He would forget all about Shiro, eventually. He never really formed attachments on campus. As soon as he was done with his thesis, he was out of that dull place.

They got to the library. Keith gestured to the door.

On cue, Shiro opened the door, and gestured for Keith to enter ahead of him.

Keith sighed.

He stepped through the doorway. The sooner he was rid of this goody-two-shoes newcomer, the better.

But as soon as he stepped in, he heard someone loudly greet: “Dr. Shirogane! Welcome!”

The greeting carried across the silence of the hall. And before Keith’s eyes, library assistants and student assistants materialized from behind shelves, congregated in front of him.

Or, to be more accurate: in front of the newcomer.

“Good morning, everyone,” Keith’s companion said. “I’m sorry I’m late. I kind of got lost.”

Here, in this stuffy, musty place that Keith actually hated, and wouldn’t have set foot in if only he didn’t need to for his studies (like now), it seemed like Shiro took on a new persona.

A more confident, more commanding, _sexier_ one.

Even while he was admitting he got lost.

Keith stepped out of the way and let the library personnel get to Shirogane. They introduced themselves one by one, like fawning groupies.

This Shiro guy must be a big deal.

Keith didn’t actually know why he stuck around. He was going to the library to get some research done. Watching near-total strangers introduce themselves to _another_ total stranger wasn’t exactly on his itinerary for the day.

But he got the gist of the matter. And when everyone was gone, he confronted Shiro with it.

“You’re the new head librarian?”

Shiro looked at him, smiled modestly.

“Guess I am.”

Keith looked at him sidelong. “I take it back about you not owing me coffee,” he pronounced.

Shiro laughed.

His laugh in the library sounded strong and hearty,. Surrounded by books, it really seemed like Shiro was in his home turf, and he was less awkward, more comfortable.

“My offer to replace your drink stands,” Dr. Shirogane quipped, “but, sadly, you can’t bring coffee into the library.”

He smiled at Keith, and that smile hit Keith hard.

Much like a wall he didn’t mind repeatedly walking into.

“How about I treat you after hours?”

Keith smiled in turn.

“Deal.”


End file.
